Just the Way You Are
by Poseidon's Chickadee
Summary: Sometimes we find that the the thing we love most about the person who holds our hearts is that they love us just as we are. No qualifiers, no questions.BuffyNeville


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did I'd be probably with a lot of money. A LOT.  
But alas I do not have much. So, yeah. Not mine.

A/N: AU cause Angel, still a vamp. And Ron is with Hermione. Love them together but I figured the person I paired him with would be LOTS of fun. Ron DOES remind me of Xander at times so it fits :-)

A/N2: This story was originally on TTH but I decided to move it here. If you read my profile you'll see why Smiles See I do write pairings that I like to read. Give and take. Sorta like how I give ya a story and you give me reviews? said sweetly and guilelessly

Enjoy. :-D

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He didn't know why she loved him.

He would have been unsure that it was love if she hadn't held his face in her small hands, tilted her head, and gave him that smile of hers. The one that made him soft and hard and left him awkwardly confused. That smile of hers that said that she saw more than you thought.

He wondered what she saw that made her love him. And he knew that she did. Beyond her simply saying it. He knew that she did because she wouldn't lie about that. She wouldn't lie at all. She'd had known someone like him. Someone good and honest and strong-he wasn't strong but her compliments made him blush nonetheless-and she'd led him along. Let his ingredients fall in because she felt he'd help her bake faster. But she'd been selfish and hurt him and he'd gotten away, she'd pushed him away. And she'd tried to feel for him what she couldn't so she wouldn't lie again. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Not now. Not with Neville who she said was too important. Important like Riley had tried to be.

Neville thought her insane. He really did. Though he'd never said it out loud but he knew that she knew that he thought it. And she just snuggled into him, holding a pig and a stake in each respective hand as they watched the telly and reassured him. Constantly. That she loved him. Buffy Anne Summers loved, he, Neville Franklin Longbottom.

And he still couldn't figure out why. Why this beautiful waif of a strong-minded, -hearted, just strong woman would want him? Neville. Who was still not very good with magic. Still a bit too pudgy. And still jumped when he saw shadows against the wall. For good reason now though. Never know when a shadow would be an errant death eater.

Even so, he was still the things he'd been teased about in Hogwarts. Why did she want him when she could have someone strong and funny like Ron? Or someone who was a hero like she was, Harry for an example. Or even Malfoy. Merlin the thought made him sick but she'd look lovely with Malfoy.

No. Buffy had said no. Ron was head over heels for Cordelia Chase who seemed to reciprocate the feelings. And she said Harry reminded herself. They were too much a like. They were too vulnerable. They were too cruel and callous. Too much of pity-parties. The blind couldn't lead the more blind, as she put it. He had thought she had meant because Harry wore spectacles and had proceeded to tell her such a thing didn't need to be teased about. Buffy had shook her head and smiled. It wasn't what she meant but that was why she loved him, Neville. And she had left him there. Even more confused.

Malfoy. Buffy didn't want Malfoy. She'd punched the blonde male when Malfoy had insulted him and then had went home with him, Neville. And had proceeded to cluck and obsess over him as if the Slytherin's scathing words still stung. They didn't anymore. And Buffy had said that was why she loved him. What was why she loved him? She'd proceeded then to show him.

He hadn't been able to walk straight for a week. Neither had Malfoy.

Neville still didn't get it.

"Hey, Nev. I'm home!"  
Buffy yelled out as she slammed the door behind her and kicked her boots off.  
Long time ago, not too long ago, she would have taken care in removing them. But she didn't care anymore. Oh, she still loved her clothes. How could she not? But any second she spent on removing them was one second more away from Neville.

Pathetic. Cordelia had said she was pathetic. However, Buffy knew the other girl understood. They'd spent so much time on the wrong men. So much time on Angel who'd shanshu'd and hadn't even given either them a second glance. Now they each had someone that was theirs. Not part of the Scooby group or the Council. Someone who wasn't touched by their world but knew everything about it. And at least her someone wasn't an overgrown red gorilla who was forever wiping Lays grease on the furniture.

No her someone just didn't see his worth even when that worth was staring him right in his face.

Buffy didn't mind. After that strange thing with the Immortal all she had in her life was cocky over-confident men. It was one of the reasons why she hadn't given Malfoy a second glance. The other was Neville himself.

They'd met at the new Watcher's Council. He'd stumbled with his words and broke an expensive artifact and she'd fallen right in love. Neville Longbottom didn't have a confident bone in his body but he was one of the strongest men she knew.

"Have a good exercise?" He asked as he walked into hallway and handed her a steaming cup of cocoa.

Exercise. She loved that he called it that. He wasn't intimidated that she was the slayer. He also called it a 'run through work'. Because he knew it was what she was, a part of her. Not a hobby. Not Buffy and that thing she does. He saw it as a gift, a skill. Buffy is the Slayer. He loved both. He loved one. The thought made her all mushy because there were times she didn't.

"Yeah, just a bunch of fledges. Staked them before they were out of the grave."

"You're all right then?" He frowned slightly. "N-no injuries?"

She loved that too. He treated her like a woman. Neville Longbottom remembered, no that was the wrong word. Buffy didn't think it ever occurred to him to think otherwise, never occurred to him NOT to be a gentleman. He opened doors for her. And gently maneuvered her from puddles. He took her dancing, although for the sake of her feet she did the leading. He always made her cocoa after slaying without batting an eyelash and was forever pampering her. Neville brought her flowers at least once a week. Not as some grand gesture but because he felt she deserved them. Because he thought she'd like them. They were usually a bit crushed from his big hands but she didn't mind. She didn't mind when he eagerly brought her those weird wizard plants either. Even if one of them ate her favorite-_only_-Versace sweater.

"Well I have this one on my ankle." Buffy almost felt bad about lying to him as the worry intensified in his brown eyes. However, she had never said she wasn't selfish. And she loved it when he clucked over her. Especially when he rubbed those large, slightly calloused hands over her body. He made her feel protected and safe. It was great. Neville got ill at the sight of blood and was allergic to vampire dust and the taller the demon the more peaky he got. But he never backed down and she knew if Voldiemold suddenly resurrected at that very moment Neville would attack the nutso wizard to save her. Forgetting that he had a wand. She absolutely over the moon loved that.

Neville quickly disposed of her pants and her stockings before gently sitting her down. His hands running down her calf and looking first at one ankle than the other.

Buffy idly, happily, watched his ministrations as she drank her chocolate. It was good stuff.

"I don't see ... anything." Neville murmured with a small frown.

"Really? Look harder. I'm sure it's there. He was a frisky one."

Neville paused what he was doing to look calmly, curiously at his girlfriend. It was all Buffy could do not to grin or squirm. Of course he saw right past that.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"You wouldn't be lying would you?"  
He asked with bewildered amusement. Honestly not getting why would she lie about injury.  
Ahh, how adorable her clueless boyfriend was.

"Why would I lie? It's not as if I want you to rub your hands all over my body for any apparent reason." She said innocently. Apparently he didn't buy that because he was blushing so she helpfully said, "You didn't check under my foot yet. Or behind my leg."

"You said it was on your ankle." He points out.

"I lied."

"You're incorrigible."  
He chuckled slightly, his brown hair falling in his eyes.

"You love it." She happily informed him.

"I do." He said softly, suddenly serious as another blush started.  
"I do."

Ahh, Happy. Happy was her new best friend. And she didn't think she was ever going to mess up that friendship. She didn't think she COULD. Neville was really with the forgiving thing.

He was really into the giving thing. Even though people always over looked him or always abused what he gave, or didn't think it was good enough he kept on giving. Then was pleasantly confused when someone gave back. Like his love. He had no problem saying that he loved her.

She didn't know how else to show him.  
"I love you too." But she would keep on telling him.

Neville leaned back on his haunches and looked into her hazel-green eyes.  
"I know." And he did. He didn't know why but in this very moment. It didn't really matter.

Because she was drinking his cocoa though he was a worse cook than she was and she was smiling at him and lying to him and loved when he touched her. That could be the why but the thing was Neville was realizing as his eyes zeroed in on a scratch on the back of her hand that she missed. It didn't matter because ...

Well because when you loved it wasn't about the 'why's' or the 'what's'. It was about the 'is'.  
Buffy loved him just the way he was. He didn't get it. He didn't know why he saw it now.

But that's the way it is.


End file.
